June 30, 2012

Dog on the Roof by Bruce Kluger and
David Slavin is a humorous political satire about Mitt Romney’s infamous tale
of the family vacation with their dog on the roof. Clever illustrations by
Colleen Clapp make this a quick and very funny read during this election year.

Book
Description

“They were the typical American familyon a typical American
road trip—Dad behind the wheel, Mom in the passenger seat, their five adorable
kids piled in the back. And, of course, their beloved dog strapped to the roof.

Wait . . .what?

Now for the first time, here is the completely
true—and only mildly embellished— shaggy-dog story of Seamus Romney, the
famously fetching Irish setter whose master, future presidential candidate Mitt
Romney, plopped him atop the family station wagon for that infamous 1983 car
trip. From the majesty of Mount Rushmore to the fabulousness of San Francisco,
from the sacred temple of Salt Lake City to the hallowed halls of Washington,
D.C., here at last is Seamus’s rooftop account of that headline-grabbing
journey . . .unleashed.

Doggedly chronicled by
satirists Bruce Kluger and David Slavin (NPR’sAll Things Considered), and
cleverly illustrated by Colleen Clapp (The Chris Matthews Show,NBC News), this American tale is
more than just the story of a dog on a hot tin roof. It is the inside (well . .
. overhead) look at the Man Who Would Be President and the wild ride that’s
sweeping—and bewildering—the nation.” – Dog
on the Roof

My Thoughts

Dog on the
Roof is an enjoyable, fun, and short read. It is a book that pokes fun at
one of the guys that might lead our country, but without freedom of speech,
what does our country really have? I think if Mitt Romney reads it, he’d get at
least a couple laughs out of it, too. I mean, I wonder what his dog Seamus
thought the entire trip up there on that roof.

I think this was a smartly written book that is genuinely
funny without demeaning one political party over the other. I enjoyed it and
definitely recommend it for everyone to read, no matter which political party
you are in.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Dog on the Roof, Touchstone, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu is a
revealing memoir by one of America’s best gymnasts to compete in the Olympics.
At only fourteen years old she earned a gold medal, but her journey to get
there was not as supportive as many may have been lead to believe. In this
memoir, she is finally able to tell the truth about the world of competitive
gymnastics, and also reveals a major life secret that her family kept from her
until recently.

Book
Description

“At fourteen
years old, Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Women’s
Olympic Gymnastics team, the first and only American women’s team to take gold
at the Olympics. Her pixyish appearance and ferocious competitive drive quickly
earned her the status of media darling. But behind the fame, the flawless floor
routines, and the million-dollar smile, her life was a series of challenges and
hardships.

Off Balancevividly
delineates each of the dominating characters who contributed to Moceanu’s rise
to the top, from her stubborn father and long-suffering mother to her mercurial
coach, Bela Karolyi. Here, Moceanu finally shares the haunting stories of
competition, her years of hiding injuries and pain out of fear of retribution
from her coaches, and how she hit rock bottom after a public battle with her
parents.

But medals, murder plots, drugs, and daring escapes aside
(all of which figure into Moceanu’s incredible journey), the most unique aspect
of her life is the family secret that Moceanu discovers, opening a new and
unexpected chapter in her adult life. A mysterious letter from a stranger
reveals that she has a second sister—born with a physical disability and given
away at birth—who has nonetheless followed in Moceanu’s footsteps in an
astonishing way.

A multilayered memoir
that transcends the world of sports,Off
Balancewill touch anyone who
has ever dared to dream of a better life.” – Off
Balance

My Thoughts

Off Balance
is not your average memoir of an Olympic athlete about how they got to the top
of their career and won the gold. Though Moceanu did in fact win the gold, this
is not the main focus of her story. I applaud her for writing such an honest
and revealing memoir about her life and the sport of gymnastics.

I found this to be a very easy to read memoir that
was truly captivating enough to read rather quickly. Once I started reading the
real story about one of my childhood heroes, I was hooked and couldn’t stop.
Moceanu is by far one of my favorite gymnastics, and after reading her story, I
am even more amazed by her today and consider her one of the top females I
admire. She is a true inspiration and I hope that the young gymnasts starting
out learn from her example, and can look up to the positive role model that she
is.

This is an excellent memoir that I highly
recommend for everyone to read that is involved in sports or enjoys watching the
Olympics, especially gymnastics. The 2012 London Olympics starts in July and
this would be a fantastic book to read before watching the gymnastics portion
of the Olympics.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Off Balance, Touchstone, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

June 29, 2012

After five long years of waiting for the release date to be announced for Guild Wars 2, the launch date is set for August 28, 2012. I’m one of those hardcore gamers that pre-purchased the game so I would be included in the beta weekend events, stress tests, get the extra in-game items, and a three day head start access to the game before launch.

I played in two of the beta weekends and two of the stress tests so far. Since they are releasing the game in August, there will be only one more beta weekend event, which I will (of course) be taking part in as well.

So far I’ve only played on the human race as an Elementalist and a Necromancer. Both were my mains in the original Guild Wars game. However, after I’m in the game for real, I plan on making at least one of each race offered: Human, Sylvari, Asura, Norn, and Charr. I’ll also be making at least one of each profession. I’ll likely have to buy a few extra character slots, but that is okay. I just hope they give us more than five character slots once Guild Wars 2 is live (in the beta, we only have five slots).

I’m really excited about the game being released finally and can’t wait to start playing! It is one of the best (if not THE best) MMO I’ve played, and it has no monthly subscription fee! If you don’t want to be stuck in the grind of games that make you play for weeks or days to gain a level, or years to obtain a piece of gear, seriously check out this game – it will have you stopping that paid subscription game quickly!

June 27, 2012

The Conviction by Robert Dugoni is a
thriller that shakes the reader to the core about what is being done in the
justice system in this novel. When a lawyer finds out his son is being
mistreated by the system, he takes action into his own hands to try and rescue
his son, but will he be able to go far enough to do it?

Book
Description

“In
this gripping, high-octane thriller by critically acclaimedNew York Timesbestselling author Robert Dugoni,
a father takes the law into his own hands to save his son, trapped in a
juvenile detention center from hell.

Lawyer
David Sloane is desperate to get through to his troubled teenage son Jake.
Still reeling from the devastating loss of his mother in a brutal murder, Jake
has spiraled out of control and Sloane has barely been able to keep him out of
jail. So when his old friend, detective Tom Molia, suggests that they take
their sons on a guys-only camping trip, Sloane gratefully accepts.

What Sloane imagines will be the perfect excursion
turns into a horrifying nightmare when the boys are arrested for vandalizing a
general store late at night while their fathers are asleep. The next morning,
before Sloane and Molia even realize they’re gone, their sons are tried, convicted,
and sentenced by the presiding judge to six months in the county wilderness
detention camp, Fresh Start. For the teenagers, a grueling physical and
psychological ordeal begins.

As Sloane fights the conviction against the boys,
he discovers that local judge Earl Boykin’s authority seems to extend far
beyond the confines of his courtroom. Meanwhile, on the inside, Jake is forced
to grow up quickly and soon learns the hard way that this detention center has
a very different purpose than rehabilitating troubled youths.

With their legal options
exhausted, Sloane and Molia will do anything to save their sons—even mount a
daring rescue operation that could win the boys their freedom . . . or cost all
of them their lives.” – The
Conviction

My Thoughts

The
Conviction is a very different kind of thriller about parents and their rebellious
teens. I’ve never read a book written with this kind of take on teenagers and
how they could end up in a hellish detention center such as the one Jake ends
up in. This is seriously the kind of place I hope doesn’t exist anywhere in the
world, but I know that there are probably places like this somewhere, and that
makes this book an even more of a page-turner and suspenseful read.

Dugoni does an excellent job portraying the
characters with such realism that you feel like you know them and are genuinely
hopeful for their best outcomes. He grabs your attention from the beginning and
does a superb job plotting the story to make it an enjoyable read. I don’t want
to give away the ending because that would ruin reading the book when you read
it for yourself, I’ll just say that it is suspenseful up to the end and was a
great read! I definitely recommend it.

* Thank you
to the publisher of The Conviction, Touchstone, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

June 26, 2012

The Skeleton Box by Bryan Gruley is the
latest novel as part of the author’s “Starvation Lake” mystery series. Mysteries
and lies are ripping apart the small community in Michigan called Starvation
Lake, but sometimes the truth is better left hidden.

Book
Description

“Mysterious
break-ins are plaguing the small town of Starvation Lake. While elderly
residents enjoy their weekly bingo night at St. Valentine’s Catholic Church,
someone is slipping into their homes to rifle through financial and personal
files. Oddly, the intruder takes nothing—yet the “Bingo Night Burglaries” leave
the entire town uneasy.

Worry turns into panic when a break-in escalates
to murder. Suddenly, Gus Carpenter, editor of thePine County Pilot,is forced to investigate the most
difficult story of his life. Not only is the victim his ex-girlfriend Darlene’s
mother, but her body was found in the home of Bea Carpenter—Gus’s own mother.
Suffering from worsening dementia and under the influence of sleeping pills,
Bea remembers little of the break-in.

With the help of Luke
Whistler, a formerDetroit
Free Pressreporter who came
north looking for slower days and some old-fashioned newspaper work, Gus sets
out to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when the story leads him to a
lockbox his mother has kept secret for years, Gus doesn’t realize that its
contents could forever change his perception of Starvation Lake, his own
family, and the value of the truth.” – The
Skeleton Box

My Thoughts

The Skeleton
Box is a good mystery novel set in a believable small town America
community. It features Gus Carpenter, the editor for the “Pilot” as being the reporter
to uncover the truth behind the mysterious break-ins going on in the town. The
plot is good, and I don’t want to give away very much from it – but it is somewhat
predictable.

The author does a very good job with bringing the
characters in the novel to life. You get a feel for them rather quickly, and
are involved in their story as the novel progresses. The setting captures the
feel for the area remarkably well, and both of these elements give the reader a
good overall impression of the story without too much extra prose describing
everything in minute detail.

I enjoyed this story, but not as much as I could
have. Something was just missing from it, and I’m not sure what exactly it was.
I didn’t read the previous two novels in the series (Starvation Lake and The
Hanging Tree), so perhaps that was it. Regardless of that though, I do recommend
it for mystery novel fans to read, as I’m sure you’d likely enjoy the story.

* Thank you
to the publisher of The Skeleton Box, Touchstone, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

So Far Away by Meg Mitchell Moore is
a marvelously written story about mothers, daughters, and how chance encounters
can change the life of people, even if only meeting through the pages of a
diary a century after it was written.

Book
Description

“Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to
escape: from her parents' ugly divorce, and from the vicious cyber-bullying of
her former best friend. Adrift, confused, she is a girl trying to find her way
in a world that seems to either neglect or despise her. Her salvation arrives
in an unlikely form: Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy
Boston family. The catch? Bridget lives only in the pages of a dusty old 1920s
diary Natalie unearthed in her mother's basement. But the life she describes is
as troubling - and mysterious - as the one Natalie is trying to navigate
herself, almost a century later.

I am writing this down because this is my
story. There were only ever two people who knew my secret, and both are gone
before me.

Who was Bridget, and what became of her?

Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock
its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen
Lynch, a widow with her own painful secret: she's estranged from her only
daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in
Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk.

What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant
from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in
around them, and Natalie's torments at school escalate, the faded pages of
Bridget's journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow - and might even
change their lives forever.” – So Far Away

My Thoughts

So Far Away
is a brilliantly woven story told through the two main characters of Kathleen
and Natalie. Kathleen is the mother figure whose own daughter wants nothing to
do with her. However, when Natalie comes into the archives where she works, she
finds the chance to help this young teen with her troubles, and an unlikely
friendship begins.

This novel also describes how cyber-bullying and
real life bullying can have a devastating effect on those involved, and the
message on this is one not to be missed. The character Natalie is a very
realistic teen that struggles with being bullied in school, and her source of
courage is found through the diary that she finds in her basement.

I really enjoyed this novel, and found it to be a
touching story about the struggles of life and how we can find the courage to
overcome them, even if from unlikely sources. I highly recommend it.

* Thank you
to the publisher of So Far Away, Reagan Arthur Books, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

Jasmine Nights by Julia Gregson is an
enjoyable summer read of historical fiction set during World War II. Unlike
many other novels set during this period, this one offers a new perspective of
what it was like for female singers entertaining the troops during the war.

Book
Description

“FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OFEAST OF THE SUN,A POWERFUL LOVE STORY SET AGAINST
THE UNSTABLE AND EXOTIC CITIES OF CAIRO AND ISTANBUL DURING THE HEIGHT OF WORLD
WAR II

At twenty-three, Saba Tarcan knows her only hope
of escaping the clamor of Cardiff Bay, Wales, lies in her voice. While
traveling Britain, singing for wounded soldiers, Saba meets handsome fighter
pilot Dom Benson, recovering from burns after a crash. When Saba auditions to
entertain troops in far-off lands, Dom follows her to London. Just as their
relationship begins to take root, Saba is sent to sing in Africa, and Dom is
assigned a new mission in the Middle East. As Saba explores Cairo’s bazaars,
finding friendship among the troupe’s acrobats and dancers, Dom returns to the
cockpit once again, both thrilled and terrified to be flying above the desert
floor. In spite of great danger, the two resolve to reunite.

When Saba learns that her position makes her
uniquely qualified for a secret mission of international importance, she agrees
to help the British Secret Service, concealing her role from Dom. Her decision
will jeopardize not only her safety but also the love of her life.

Based on true accounts of female entertainers used
as spies during World War II,Jasmine Nightsis a powerful story of danger, secrets, and love,
filled with the colors and sounds of the Middle East’s most beautiful cities.” – Jasmine
Nights

My Thoughts

Jasmine
Nights is historical fiction that keeps you entertained. Once I started
reading it, I felt the characters come to life, especially Saba who is a singer
that joined ENSA to entertain troops during the war in North Africa. While she
is away from home, she falls in love with Dom, who I found to be a great
character that I personally would have liked to have seen more of in the story.
Their love story isn’t a hot and steamy romance read; it is more on a young
love and cute side, which I think worked out well for this book.

I really loved the settings in the book that
surrounded Egypt, such as the Bosphorus at night, the Nile River, and the
pyramids at Giza. As a reader, it made me want to visit there (not during
wartime of course) even more.

This is the type of book that you can get lost in
on a warm summer night. I definitely recommend this novel for anyone that
enjoys historical fiction, enjoys a good love story, and likes reading about an
extraordinary female character.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Jasmine Nights, Touchstone, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

June 25, 2012

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth
Haynes is a psychological thriller that is probably unlike any you’ve read or
seen before. Her portrayal of OCD and love gone very, very wrong is gripping,
and might even leave you wanting to check and re-check things over and over
again, too.

Book
Description

“Catherine Bailey has been enjoying the single life long
enough to know a catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and
spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly
agree, as each in turn falls under his spell.

But what begins as
flattering attentiveness and passionate sex turns into raging jealousy, and
Catherine soon learns there is a darker side to Lee. His increasingly erratic,
controlling behavior becomes frightening, but no one believes her when she
shares her fears. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of
her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is
behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—compulsively checks the locks and doors in
her apartment, trusting no one. But when an attractive upstairs neighbor,
Stuart, comes into her life, Cathy dares to hope that happiness and love may
still be possible . . . until she receives a phone call informing her of Lee’s
impending release. Soon after, Cathy thinks she catches a glimpse of the former
best friend who testified against her in the trial; she begins to return home
to find objects subtly rearranged in her apartment, one of Lee’s old tricks.
Convinced she is back in her former lover’s sights, Cathy prepares to wrestle
with the demons of her past for the last time.

Utterly convincing in its
portrayal of obsession,Into
the Darkestcorner is an
ingeniously structured and plotted tour de force of suspense that marks the
arrival of a major new talent.” – Into
the Darkest Corner

My Thoughts

Into the
Darkest Corner is an intense book that was written with such thought and
detail, it will leave you thinking about things in a new perspective. The main
character, Catherine (also known as Cathy) is captivating and her fears about
her ex-boyfriend, Lee is so intense it made me as a reader look at people much
differently.

The book is told from Catherine’s perspective in
two time frames of her life. In one she is a carefree party girl that falls in
love with Lee. Her present-day life isn’t as carefree, as she is now haunted by
her past and is struggling with her very real fears about her ex, and her OCD
is taking over her life. I don’t always enjoy reading books with a split
timeline, but this one is done in a very clever way, and I think it added to
the suspense in the story.

I enjoyed this book right up to the very end, and I
can’t wait to see it if it is turned into a movie. I highly recommend this as
one of your summer reads, just make sure you check the locks a few times before
reading.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Into the Darkest Corner, Harper,
for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed
are my own.

June 21, 2012

The Unseen by Katherine Webb is a captivating
tale of love, deception, and illusion that takes place in the early 1900s in
England. This piece of historical fiction is a real page turner that will surprise
you and leave you wanting more at the end.

Book
Description

“From Katherine Webb, the author of the acclaimed
international bestsellerThe
Legacy, comes a compelling tale of love, deception, and illusion.

A vicar with a passion
for nature, the Reverend Albert Canning leads a happy existence with his naive
wife, Hester, in their sleepy Berkshire village in the year 1911. But as the
English summer dawns, the Cannings' lives are forever changed by two new
arrivals: Cat, their new maid, a disaffected, free-spirited young woman sent
down from London after entanglements with the law; and Robin Durrant, a leading
expert in the occult, enticed by tales of elemental beings in the water meadows
nearby.

Quickly finding a place
for herself in the underbelly of local society, Cat secretly plots her escape.
Meanwhile, Robin, a young man of considerable magnetic charm and beauty, soon
becomes an object of fascination and desire. Sweltering in the oppressive
summer heat, the peaceful rectory turns into a hotbed of dangerous ambition,
forbidden love, and jealousy—a potent mixture of emotions that ultimately leads
to murder.” – The
Unseen

My Thoughts

The Unseen
is a very well written book that had me totally immersed in it for a weekend. It
is hard to write much about the plot without giving anything away to the
storyline surprises you’ll uncover along the way. So, I won’t go there with
this review. If you are looking for spoilers, read another review.

The story is set in 1911 and 2011, which I found a
unique way to show the perspective of the story. Katherine Webb writes so well
that these two very different time periods flowed perfectly and didn’t feel
like two different books. Not an easy accomplishment for the subject matter,
but she did it flawlessly.

The characters are all well-formed and memorable. Cat,
Hester, and Leah are the females we root for in the story, and sometimes wish
they’d stop allowing themselves to be used by the males. Even in a 100 year
difference of time, that is still a recurring theme throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a fascinating
piece of historical fiction. I highly recommend it.

* Thank you
to the publisher of The Unseen, William
Morrow, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions
expressed are my own.

June 20, 2012

Dreaming the Soul Back Home by Robert
Moss takes you on a shamanic dream journey that you won’t soon forget. Using
your dreams to look deeper into your own spiritual path, you’ll uncover things
you may have forgotten about yourself.

Book
Description

“In this extraordinary book, shamanic dream teacher
Robert Moss shows us how to become shamans of our own souls and healers of our
own lives.

The greatest contribution of the ancient shamans
to modern healing is the understanding that in the course of any life we are
liable to suffer soul loss — the loss of parts of our vital energy and identity
— and that in order to be whole and well, we must find the means of soul
recovery. Moss teaches us that our dreams give us maps we can use to travel to
the places where we can find and bring home our lost or stolen soul parts. He
shows us how to recover our animal spirits and ride the windhorse of spirit to
places of healing and adventure in the larger reality. We discover how we can
heal ancestral wounds and open the way forculturalsoul recovery.

You’ll learn how to enter past lives, future
lives, and the life experiences of parallel selves and how to bring back
lessons and gifts. “It’s not just about keeping soul in the body,” Moss writes.
“It’s aboutgrowingsoul, becoming more than we ever were
before, embodying more of the Greater Self.” With fierce joy, he incites us to
take the creator’s leap and bring something new into our world.” – Dreaming
the Soul Back Home

My Thoughts

Dreaming the
Soul Back Home is a truly fascinating and spiritual book that I extremely
enjoyed reading and experiencing. The closest thing that I can relate it to is
the “ah-ha… ooooh” feeling I had after watching the movie “Inception” which is
also about dreams.

Robert Moss wrote this book exceptionally well and
is a very easy to read book. I read it rather quickly, but I am also very
interested in the topic. There is a large amount of cultural references and
stories from many different cultures, which I especially enjoyed reading about.
There are also many stories from participants from the author’s workshops and
events about their dreams and soul recoveries. Moss also includes many
different exercises that the reader can use to help with their dreaming and
also help with their own soul recovery.

Overall, I found this book to be one of the best
books about dreaming, and it effectively illustrates how to use those dreams to
help with our own journeys in life. I highly recommend this book for everyone
to read that dreams, so that makes all of us. Grab the book, get comfy and
start dreaming your soul back home!

* Thank you
to the publisher of Dreaming the Soul Back Home, New World Library, for providing me
with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Redemption by Bryan Clay with Joel
Kilpatrick is an inspiring story about how a life can be completely changed
with faith. Bryan may not have had the Olympic life he is now living without
it, and this story about his journey is moving and highly motivational.

Book
Description

“The inspiring and gritty story of the World's Greatest
Athlete.

Redemptiontells the story of Bryan Clay, winner of the 2008 Olympic
gold medal and the 2004 Olympic silver medal in the decathlon. By the grace of
God, Bryan went from being a fist-fighting, drug-using, presuicidal kid in
Hawaii to world champion in the toughest Olympic sport. His secret? A
dramatically rediscovered faith and his mother’s relentless prayers.

Redemptiongoes beyond standard sports memoirs, giving a clear
storyline of an athlete’s misspent youth, his desperate Christian conversion at
a time of utter personal defeat, and his mother’s fervent prayers that helped
transform him into a top athlete, family man, and loving father. Bryan’s story
will inspire mothers, fathers, and young readers alike as they experience the
rise of a champion from obscurity and failure to the pinnacle of athletic
achievement.

The world will be watching Bryan,
at the age of 32, defend his gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012.” – Redemption

My Thoughts

Redemption
is such a motivational read for people of all types, but especially athletes
and people that could end up going in the wrong direction in life. Those little
choices that we all make each and every day can lead to a life that is not one
that is faith-based. However, as Bryan’s journey shows, things can be changed
and turned around for the better – thanks to love, faith and prayers.

I found this to be a very uplifting
book that was very easy to read. It is well written and relatable to people, even
us non-Olympians. I recommend it for everyone to read that wants to know more
about this superstar Olympic athlete, and especially for those people who need
some inspiration and courage to change the direction of their life for the
better. Who knows, this book might inspire future Olympians to get out there
and run (or do their other favorite sport).

*
Thank you to the publisher of Redemption, Thomas Nelson, for providing me with
a copy of this book for review as part of theirBook Sneezeprogram.
All opinions expressed are my own.

June 15, 2012

Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook
is a perfect example of fun chic-lit that is perfect for the summer sun in a
nice vacation spot. It is also fun and sassy with the author’s sense of humor,
so it makes it that much more entertaining to read.

Book
Description

“From the acclaimed bestselling author of Must Love
Dogs comes a winning and witty new novel about a woman who emerges from the
shadow of her overbearing family and finds herself “dancing with the stars.”

Deirdre Griffin has
a great life; it’s just not her own. She’s the around-the-clock personal
assistant to her charismatic, high-maintenance, New Age guru brother, Tag. As
the family wallflower, her only worth seems to be as gatekeeper to Tag at his
New England seaside compound.

Then Deirdre’s
sometime boyfriend informs her that he is marrying another woman, who just
happens to be having the baby he told Deirdre he never wanted. While drowning
her sorrows in Tag’s expensive vodka, Deirdre decides to use his massive online
following to get herself voted on as a last-minuteDancing with the Starsreplacement. It’ll get her
back in shape, mentally and physically. It might even get her a life of her
own. Deirdre’s fifteen minutes of fame have begun.

Irresistible and offbeat,Wallflower in Bloomis
an original and deeply satisfying story of having the courage to take a leap
into the spotlight, no matter where you land.”
– Wallflower
in Bloom

My Thoughts

Wallflower
in Bloom is an entertaining summer relaxing read. I wouldn’t go so far as
to say it is high literature or anything, but it is fun and breezy. The author
is humorous and sassy, which is just what I enjoyed most about this novel.

The main character Deirdre often made me want to
shake her for some of the choices she made, but you want to cheer her on and
see her succeed nonetheless. Having this character be a Dancing with the Stars replacement “celebrity” is very unrealistic,
as she wasn’t a celebrity, her brother was. Fans of this show will more than
likely really enjoy this book because of the focus of this in the novel. I’m
not a fan, so I can’t say I really enjoyed this being in the novel.

Overall, I found this novel to be entertaining and
sassy, thanks to the author. I think it would make for an excellent beach read
or summer read in general. I recommend it to all those needing a relaxing and
funny read to pass the time this summer.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Wallflower in Bloom, Touchstone, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

The Cottage at Glass Beach by Barbieri
is a truly great summer or beach read about woman who finds refuge with her
daughters on an island off the Maine coast. Her story is one that many women
could relate to (at least to some degree), but it has an underlying fantasy
side to it which makes it that much more interesting.

Book
Description

“Married to the youngest attorney general in Massachusetts
state history, Nora Cunningham is a picture-perfect political wife and a doting
mother. But her carefully constructed life falls to pieces when she, along with
the rest of the world, learns of the infidelity of her husband, Malcolm.

Humiliated and hounded
by the press, Nora packs up her daughters—Annie, seven; and Ella, twelve—and
takes refuge on Burke's Island, a craggy spit of land off the coast of Maine.
Settled by Irish immigrants, the island is a place where superstition and magic
are carried on the ocean winds, and wishes and dreams wash ashore with the
changing tides

Nora spent her first
five years on the island but has not been back to the remote community for
decades—not since that long ago summer when her mother disappeared at sea. One
night while sitting alone on Glass Beach below the cottage where she spent her
childhood, Nora succumbs to grief, her tears flowing into the ocean. Days later
she finds an enigmatic fisherman named Owen Kavanagh shipwrecked on the rocks
nearby. Is he, as her aunt's friend Polly suggests, a selkie—a mythical being
of island legend—summoned by her heartbreak, or simply someone who, like Nora,
is trying to find his way in the wake of his own personal struggles?

Just as she begins to
regain her balance, her daughters embark on a reckless odyssey of their own—a
journey that will force Nora to find the courage to chart her own course and
finally face the truth about her marriage, her mother, and her long-buried
past.” – The
Cottage at Glass Beach

My Thoughts

The Cottage
at Glass Beach is centered on Nora, who escaped to Burke’s Island with her
daughters after she found out about her husband’s infidelity. He is a
politician, so she wasn’t able to deal with this in private, unless she got
away. Sounds realistic, right?

As someone who has never been to Maine, I can’t
tell you if the portrayal of the town or people in it would be accurate, but I
loved how she wrote about it, and she made me want to go visit somewhere in
Maine one day. The fantasy aspect to the island is one of my favorite parts of
the story, and without it – I don’t think this would have been such a good
book. While on this island, Nora is searching for clues to the mysteries in her
past, as well as discovering herself and deciding what to do in the future.

The only thing I didn’t like about the novel was
how the author wrote the ending in too abruptly. Not everything was explained
or tied up, so to me, it would have been better if she could have spent at
least 10-20 more pages with the ending. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it and
would definitely recommend it for others to read.

* Thank you
to the publisher of The Cottage at Glass Beach, Harper, for providing me with a copy of this
book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Magical Gardens by Patricia Monaghan
is a fun to read book about gardening and the mythology that has been weaved
into it since history was recorded. If you have a garden or want to start a
garden, no matter how big or how small, this is a book that you must read!

Book
Description

“Nurture
your love of the earth with a garden rooted in your spirituality. In this
updated 15th anniversary edition of the beloved classic, Patricia Monaghan
offers fresh advice and guidance for creating a magical garden that will
nourish your soul. Bursting with ideas and inspiration, this guidebook shows
you how to plan, grow, and tend an enchanting garden that is sown with your
unique spirituality.

Along with gardening advice for every climate and
season, Magical Gardensweaves
together myth and ritual to help you bring added power and meaning to your
garden space. Discover the best plants for your site—being mindful of sun
exposure, soil type, and climate zone—and learn about composting, controlling
pests and weeds, gardening organically, and caring for plants at all growth
stages. Perform meditations based on the year’s gardening cycle, and celebrate
each season and every milestone in your life with rituals, prayers, and
ceremonies.

This book features more than a dozen themed
designs for sacred perennial gardens that you can re-create in your own
backyard or out on your patio. Easy-to-follow designs will show you how to
create a garden in honor of:

Magical
Gardens is one of my top favorite books on gardening. Honestly, I’m not
much of a gardener, but I would like to be. Books like this really inspire and
give passion, which is just what I needed to start gardening.

The book itself is very easy and fun to read.
Throughout it there are black and white drawings of gardens and flowers, which
I found fun to color in with colored pencils. I don’t usually (ever) write or
draw in my books, so again, this book inspired me to go outside of the box (or
book in this case) and do something different. I also enjoyed reading about the
mythology, rituals, and the basics of planning and caring for a garden.

Monaghan is able to connect the gardener’s spirit
with the spirit of the garden in an amazing way. No two gardens are exactly
alike, so I’ll be coming up with some of my own ideas on my little garden in
the near future. This book serves as a tremendous amount of inspiration and is
beautifully written.

For further reading, or perhaps use as an intro to
invite you into reading this book, check out the author’s article “Inviting Fairies Into Your
Garden” found on the Llewellyn website.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Magical Gardens, Llewellyn,
for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed
are my own.

June 14, 2012

Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross is a chilling
story with some truly evil characters that will make this psychological
thriller a story you won’t soon forget. This one will keep the pages moving
quickly, so jump right in and start reading it!

Book
Description

“Jay Erlich's nephew has been found at the bottom of a cliff
at Morrow Bay—a tragic suicide, it appears, until secrets from the past rear up
again.

Years ago, Jay's older
brother, Charlie, a wayward child of the sixties, fell under the sway of a
charismatic but deeply disturbed cult leader in California—a mesmerizing human
monster who set a nightmare of violence into motion. Charlie moved on and
raised a family, but the demons that nearly destroyed him never completely
disappeared.

Heading west to help his
grieving brother, Jay finds himself being pulled back into Charlie's dark
history. In a story of two brothers—one successful, the other outcast and
troubled—Jay must put his family and life on the line to uncover the truth
behind his brother's son's death, a dark and dangerous quest that threatens to
bring up the secrets of the past once again . . . and plunge him over the edge
into the depths of evil.” – Eyes
Wide Open

My Thoughts

Eyes Wide
Open is written without all of the extra details and flowery descriptions,
which is something I quite like. Andrew Gross writes his fiction to the point,
and in a story such as this, that is really more than enough to do the job. He
has mastered psychological suspense, and although this is the first book of his
I have read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more of his
novels in the future.

The characters in the story are believable and
memorable. The attachment you have towards them makes it that much more
chilling as you read through the story – again, something I really enjoyed. I
haven’t known any cult leaders in real life, and stories like this make me steer
clear of anything resembling such (even remotely).

Overall, this is a suspenseful and chilling story
that fans of this type of novels will enjoy. So if you like mystery, suspense,
and thriller stories that can leave you sleeping uneasy at night, this is the
book for you!

* Thank you
to the publisher of Eyes Wide Open, Harper,
for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed
are my own.

June 12, 2012

Stress Point by Sarah Francis Martin
is a devotional and journal for women in their twenties. It focuses on some of the
main stress points in a woman’s life, including their body image, money, love
life, career, and other things that women tend to stress out over. We don’t
have to let those stressors control our lives though, and Martin explains how
through God, we can stop focusing on those issues and live a more fulfilling
life.

Book
Description

“Want to ditch the drama and thrive through your twenties?

Body image. Friendships. Career.
Money. Dating. All these issues and more serve as points of stress for the
20-something woman, and combined they can make for a decade of drama in a
girl's life. Sarah Francis Martin is the slightly older girlfriend who’s been
there, done that, and got the not-so-cute t-shirt. Through this interactive
Bible study, Sarah helps young adult women address each stress point by
encouraging them to wait on the Lord, worship Him, and make Him the focus of
their lives.

·Engage with real, raw,
and relevant stories from girlfriends just like you

·Journal through each
chapter to engage with God in a meaningful way

·Interact with Sarah
through her video blogs for each chapter

·Connect with your
girlfriends in a Stress Point Survival Group; leader guide included

My Thoughts

Stress Point
takes the things that stress out women in their twenties most, and reflects on
how these issues can be turned around to God and made into something less
stressful. I think that she did a good job with this, and many women will
definitely benefit from this book.

She uses examples on each chapter (or issue) that
explains how a certain person (real or fictional) dealt with the stressor at
hand. For many of these issues, I just didn’t connect with the message of the
people described. The author also liked to use a lot of personal examples of
her struggles with these issues when she was in her twenties. For me, this made
the book seem more of a blog follow along devotional journal, which was not
what I was interested in reading.

Overall, I think that this book will certainly help
some women. I wouldn’t read it again, but it isn’t not worth reading either.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Stress Point, Thomas Nelson, for providing me with a copy
of this book for review as part of their Book
Sneeze program. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 8, 2012

Most Wanted by Thomas J. Foley is a highly
interesting read about the mob, the FBI, corrupt agents, and the former head of
the Massachusetts state police. Crime sprees, murders, and more await you with
this telling story about a real life mobster.

Book
Description

“June 23, 2011. The news of the notorious gangster
Whitey Bulger’s capture—after sixteen years on the FBI’s Most Wanted list—swept
the nation. Many breathed a sigh of relief. But for Thomas J. Foley, a former
Massachusetts state police colonel and the investigator who sparked Bulger’s
flight from Boston, the moment was bittersweet. The FBI may have caught Bulger,
but as Foley had painfully discovered almost two decades before, they were also
responsible for his escape.

It has been known that Whitey Bulger was a
secret informant for the FBI, but it has never been revealed—until now—that the
FBI was actually actively protecting Bulger from Foley, effectively derailing
Foley’s efforts to stop Bulger’s horrific crime sprees time and again. At one
point, the FBI even presented Foley with a plaque at a holiday party that read
“the Most Hated Man in Law Enforcement,” a not-so-subtle suggestion that he and
his team should lay off their investigation.

Most Wanted is a true-life thriller, and Foley is the hero at its
center. His investigative efforts resulted in criminal convictions of a
half-dozen of Boston’s most notorious thugs and also led to the conviction of
John Connolly, one of the FBI agents who abetted Bulger; Connolly is now
serving a forty-year prison sentence. In this book, Foley, a cop’s cop,
honestly recounts how his wide-eyed admiration for the nation’s top law
enforcement agency was gradually transformed by dark realities he didn’t want
to believe.” – Most
Wanted

My Thoughts

Most Wanted
will pull you in and make you continue to read it, almost as if you had a
gangster forcing you to read it until late into the night. Of course, it is
much more pleasant than that, which you’ll read about in many details
throughout the book about how mobsters do work.

I never heard about Whitey Bulger or Thomas Foley
until reading this book. According to this book, his neighborhood may have
thought of him as a local hero, but he was a criminal who made money through
extortion, intimidation, and even murder. He was #1 on the FBI’s most wanted
list on June 23, 2011. Heroes shouldn’t be on this list, should they?

The hero of this book is the author, Col. Thomas
J. Foley, the former head of the Massachusetts State Police. He spent twenty
years investigating and forming a case against Whitey Bulger. The resistance he
faced with the FBI led him to uncover the FBI’s protection of this criminal and
also led to the arrest of an FBI agent that helped Bulger.

This book and real life story is better than some
movies about the mafia, so I really hope that this is turned into a movie. If
it does, I predict that it will be a box office hit!

* Thank you
to the publisher of Most Wanted, Touchstone, for
providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my
own.

June 7, 2012

Quantum Affirmations by Monte Farber
is the type of book that helps you to get what you want by not just having a
positive attitude, but by changing yourself in the process of visualizing what
it is that you want. If there is something that you want, but haven’t attained
it yet, this is a book that you must read!

Book
Description

“When life lets us down, there’s only one reason: it’s all
in our heads! We are what we affirm, positive and negative.

Quantum Affirmationsoffers
an integrative approach to manifesting the love, happiness, prosperity, and
success you want in your life. Renowned psychic and bestselling author Monte
Farber teaches readers how to visualize and create the future they desire with
simple and fun techniques to tunnel through any and all obstacles.

Quantum Affirmationsis
the revolutionary new method for harnessing your mind’s power based on quantum
physics. Farber has researched intriguing scientific principles and their
complementary metaphysical laws that support that affirmations work. InQuantum Affirmations, he
applied those principles to formulate a simple 5-step process that anyone can
use to create the future they want.

Farber includes in-depth interviews with people he has guided step-bystep
through the process, and shows readers how to create their own Quantum
Affirmations. When the world seems to be falling apart and things are getting
out of control, this book offers an easy-to-use tool to take matters into your
own hands.” – Quantum
Affirmations

My Thoughts

Quantum
Affirmations is one of my personal favorite books on affirmations. I’ve
always been interested in the theory of quantum mechanics and “law of
attraction” material.

When actually using affirmations in my daily life
though, I wasn’t actually that good at it. As Monte points out, we all practice
it negatively with the things we think or say about ourselves, such as “I’m not
good at (insert what you aren’t good at here).” When thinking about that very
negative affirmation, if we are in fact bad at it, that affirmation is actually
working.

Earlier this year, I took Pre-Calculus in college
(it was one of the pre-requisites for the program I’m going into). I saved this
as one of my last classes because I always believed “I wasn’t good at math.”
Before the class started though, I never said that, and I tried my hardest not
to think that. Instead, I said, “I’m going to get an A in this class and do my
best.” I ended up earning a 105 average in that class!

Positive affirmations work just as well as those
negative ones, and the key to doing this is having a set goal and affirmation
system worked out for yourself. Mine was rather simple, but Monte Farber’s Quantum Affirmations makes this whole process
so much more fun and easy, especially for someone just starting out with this
process. If there is any goal that you want to obtain and haven’t been meeting
it, I highly recommend you to read this book and try some of these
affirmations.

* Thank you
to the publisher of Quantum Affirmations, Weiser
Books, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions
expressed are my own.

June 3, 2012

City of Style by Melissa Magsaysay
is a look at personal style in a city that has a very cool, edgy, and always
fabulous fashion scene: Los Angeles, California. Home of a fun variety of
styles, this city inspires not just fashion designers, but also the people who
live and visit there.

Book
Description

“Los Angeles harbors its own canon of styles: Romantic
Bohemian, Glamour, Skater and Surfer, Rocker, Chola-Style, Indie-Eclectic, and
Casual Chic—each shaped by the unique mix of subcultures, climates, geography,
history, and personalities that have coexisted in different pockets of the
greater LA area. These signature looks continue to inspire celebrities,
clothing designers, and stylists the world over. In City of Style,
Melissa Magsaysay, style editor for theLos
Angeles Times, draws on decades of the best, most iconic examples of
LA-style and explores the trends, tastes, and fashion innovations of today's
Angelenos—while offering a taste of the retail landscape, a guide to stores and
shops, and helpful tips on how to buy and wear key pieces for each different
style.” – City
of Style

My Thoughts

City of
Style is a unique fashion book that blends the history of L.A. style and
modern versions of those famous trends. This book focuses on the Bohemian,
Glamour, Skater and Surfer, Casual Chic, Indie-Eclectic, and Chola looks. No
matter where you live, you can probably use at least some of the fashion trends
in L.A. in your personal style.

I found the history of the fashions in L.A.
interesting, but a little bit too in-depth for the book. The pictures in the
book were great and really showed the styles for each look, but there should
have been more included in a book of this type.

The author is a very good writer who clearly has a
passion for L.A. fashion, so it was a fun and easy summer read that will also
give some fashion inspiration to people looking to buy new looks for their
wardrobe. This is a perfect book for all fashionistas and people who just love
fashion in general. I highly recommend it.

* Thank you
to the publisher of City of Style, Harper
Collins, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions
expressed are my own.

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